Limited nursing knowledge exists to explain how culture influences men’s health care decisions and practices. The purpose of this collaborative research was to explore the health care meanings, values, expressions, lived experiences, and practices of Anglo-American adult males residing in the rural Midwest. Using the ethnonursing research method, data were collected through interviews with 7 key and 12 general informants residing in Iowa. Four culture values and five themes were supported by the findings. Leininger’s culture care modes were used to explicate culturally meaningful nursing care actions and decisions that are in harmony with the cultural values and practices of rural men.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allen, D. , & Whatley, M. (1986). Nursing and men’s health: Some critical considerations. Nursing Clinics of North America, 21(1), 3-13.
2.
Baum, A. , & Grunberg, N. (1991). Gender, stress, and health. Health Psychology, 10(2), 80-85.
3.
Berger, M. , Wallis, B., & Watson, S. (1995). Constructing masculinity. New York: Routledge.
4.
Bird, C. , & Ricker, P. (1999). Gendermatters: An integrated model for understanding men’s and women’s health. Social Science & Medicine, 48, 745-755.
5.
Bozett, F. , & Forrester, W. B. (1989). A proposal for a men’s health nurse practitioner. Image: The Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 21(3), 158-161.
6.
Bureau of the Census . (1998). Statistical abstract of the United States 1998 (118th ed., p. 94). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce.
7.
Burkhardt, M. (1993). Characteristics of spirituality in the lives of women in a rural Appalachian community. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 4(2), 12-18.
8.
Charmaz, K. (1995). Identity dilemmas of chronically ill men. In D. Sabo & D. Gordon (Eds.), Men’s health and illness: Gender, power, and the body (pp. 266-291). London: Sage.
9.
Courtenay, W. (1998). Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men’s well-being: A theory of gender and health. Social Science & Medicine.
10.
Ebersole, P. (1996). Aging and gender issues. Geriatric Nursing, 17(4), 149-150.
11.
Eliason, M. (1993). Ethics and transcultural nursing care. Nursing Outlook, 41(5), 225-228.
12.
Emihovich, C. , Gaier, E., & Cronin, N. (1984). Sex-role expectations changes by fathers for their sons. Sex Roles, 11(9/10), 861-868.
13.
Fareed, A. (1994). Equal rights for men. Nursing Times, 90(5), 26-29.
14.
Firn, S. (1995). Peril of the stiff upper lip. Nursing Times, 91(25), 60.
15.
Fletcher, R. (1995). Men’s health in rural New South Wales. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 3, 106-113.
16.
Guttman, M. (1998, January 2-4). Who’s healthier: Men or women?Des Moines Sunday Register, pp. 4-6.
17.
Harrell, W. A. (1986). Masculinity and farming-related accidents. Sex-Roles, 15(9/10), 467-478.
18.
Julty, S. (1979). Men’s bodies men’s selves. New York: Dell.
19.
Kimmel, M. , & Messner, M. (1992). Men’s lives (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
20.
Kandrack, M. , Grant, K., & Segall, A. (1991). Gender differences in health related behaviour: Some unanswered questions. Social Science & Medicine, 32(5), 579-590.
21.
Leininger, M. (1990a). Ethnomethods: The philosophic and epistemic bases to explicate transcultural nursing knowledge. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 1(2), 40-51.
22.
Leininger, M. (1990b). The significance of cultural concepts in nursing. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 2(1), 52-59.
23.
Leininger, M. (Ed.). (1991). Culture care diversity and universality: A theory of nursing. New York: National League for Nursing.
24.
Leininger, M. (1995). Transcultural nursing: Concepts, theories, research & practices (2nd ed.). St. Louis, MO: McGraw-Hill.
25.
Lonnquist, L. , Weiss, G., & Larsen, D. (1992). Health value and gender in predicting health protective behavior. Women& Health, 19(2/3),69-85.
26.
Lorber, J. (1997). Gender and the social construction of illness. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
27.
McFarland, M. (1995). Culture care theory and elderly Polish Americans. In M. Leininger (Ed.), Transcultural nursing: Concepts, theories, research & practices (2nd ed., pp. 401-426). St. Louis, MO: McGraw-Hill.
28.
McMillan, I. (1995). Their own worstenemy. Nursing Times, 91(48),24-27.
29.
Patrick, K. , Covin, J., Fulop, M., Calfas, K., & Lovato, C. (1997). Health risk behaviors among California college students. Journal of American College Health, 45(6), 265-272.
30.
Robertson, S. (1995). Men’s health promotion in the UK: A hidden problem. British Journal of Nursing, 4(7), 382-401.
31.
Sabo, D. , & Gordon, D. (1995). Rethinking men’s health and illness. In D. Sabo & D. Gordon (Eds.), Men’s health and illness: Gender, power, and the body (pp. 1-21). London: Sage.
32.
Saltonstall, R. (1993). Healthy bodies, social bodies: Men’s and women’s concepts and practices in everyday life. Social Science Medicine, 36(1), 7-14.
33.
Schwalbe, M. (1996). Unlocking the iron cage: The men’s movement, gender politics, and American culture. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
34.
Skelton, R. (1988). Man’s role in society and its effect on health. Nursing, 3(26), 953-956.
35.
Stillion, J. (1985). Death and the sexes: An examination of differential longevity, attitudes, behaviors, and coping skills. New York: Hemisphere.
36.
Stillion, J. (1995). Premature death among males. In D. Sabo & D. Gordon (Eds.), Men’s health and illness: Gender, power, and the body (pp. 46-67). London: Sage.
37.
Verbrugge, L. (1985). Gender and health: An update on hypotheses and evidence. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 26, 156-182.
38.
Verbrugge, L. (1989). The twain meet: Empirical explanation of sex differences in health and mortality. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30, 282-304.
39.
Voss, M. (1997, June 8). Masculine and mortal. Des Moines Sunday Register, pp. E1-E2.
40.
Waldron, I. (1976). Why do women live longer than men?Social Science & Medicine, 10, 349-362.
41.
Wenger, A. (1995). Cultural context, health and health care decision making. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 7(1), 3-14.
42.
White, A. , & Johnson, M. (1998). The complexities of nursing research with men. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 35, 41-48.
43.
Wingard, D. (1984). The sex differential in morbidity, mortality and lifestyle. Annual Review of Public Health, 5, 433-458.
